Selling Your Home

Selling your home can be exciting, but it also takes work. You’ll need to fix all those little problems you’ve let go for so many years. You need to decide if you’re going to try to sell your own home or use a professional real estate broker. And you’ll need to be patient! Selling your home can take some time, depending on your local real estate market.

Interview with Real Estate Brokers

So your sister just introduced you to her friend Irving, a real estate agent, and now you can't get rid of him, right? Wrong! Choosing the right person to sell your home is one of the most important steps of selling. Therefore, choose wisely. At a minimum, speak with 2 or 3 brokers from different agencies. Ask prospective brokers the same list of questions, in order to compare their answers. Find out what they would do to sell your house. Above all, choose a broker that you feel comfortable with and like. This person will help you make the biggest sale of your life, so find someone you think will do a good job! The following is a list of questions that may be helpful to ask while speaking with prospective real estate brokers.

How many years have you been in business?
For how long have you sold houses in this area?
How many houses did you sell in the past year?
What is your commission?
If I were to work with you, how would you market my house?
Will you organize meetings with potential buyers and will you coordinate them personally?
Can you give me names and telephone numbers of other families that have used your services?

Tips For Selling Your Home

These are tips that won't cost a lot but can make a big difference on the appearance of your home. It is amazing how just a little attention to the details will add that special appeal that the buyer is looking for!

Pre-Listing Inspection

Having your home inspected by a professional home inspector before you list is a recommendation from Dennis DiVito of Apex Home Inspections, LLC. Eventually your buyers are going to conduct a home inspection. You may as well know what they are going to find by getting there first. Having an inspection performed ahead of time helps in many other ways:

It allows you to see your home through the eyes of a critical third-party.
It helps you to price your home realistically.
It permits you to make repairs ahead of time so that …
Defects won't become negotiating stumbling blocks later.
You have the time to get reasonably priced contractors or make the repairs yourself, if you are qualified.
It may encourage the buyer to waive the inspection contingency.
It may alert you of items of immediate personal concern, such as radon gas or active termite infestation (not all inspectors offer these extra services, you can check for radon yourself).
It may relieve buying prospect's concerns and suspicions.
It reduces your liability by adding professional supporting documentation to your disclosure statement.
Alerting you to immediate safety issues before agents and visitors tour your home.

Copies of the inspection report along with receipts for any repairs should be made available to potential buyers. Be sure the inspector you use is insured and licensed or certified (if your state requires) or at least belongs to a professional organization such as NACHI, ASHI, NIBI.

Clean up the outside

Curb appeal is the first impression of all homes for sale. Keeping the grass cut and the area tidy will help make a great first impression.
Paint or wash the exterior of the house (including window casings, shutters, and doors).
Wash the windows inside and out.
Check the gutters and chimney.

If you need painting services, we will help you find the best local contractors. Get free house painting estimates now! Trim or Remove Trees and Shrubs

Touch up the interior

Put a fresh coat of paint in the most used areas of the home. This will clean as well as brighten up the rooms.
Wash the walls where paint is not appropriate (i.e. wall paper, paneling).
Wash all floors and bathroom tiles.
Shampoo dirty carpets.
Get rid of clutter. Clean out your closets, garage, basement and attic. Use self storage if necessary.
Replacing air filters will help keep the dust down.

Replace bathroom and kitchen fixtures that are worn or leaking

People will notice a leaking or worn-out faucet. By replacing these items, you will give a new look to the room.
Clean under the sinks. If there is any leaks fix them. Then clean up the damage using contact paper or paint.

Get rid of any bad smells in your home

Pay attention to pet or cigarette odors.
Place scented potpourri around the house.
On the day you're expecting a potential buyer, pop a batch of frozen cinnamon rolls or home-made bread into the oven for a great aroma.Use a title company to handle the closing

Use a title company to handle the closing A title company can handle the title search and paper work for a very small fee. It is well worth the cost.